Justin Taylor
Dr. Archibald
English 340
27 February 2012
Humanity Instilled
Horace Bristol was by no means an average photographer; and if the grandeur of his life doesn't demonstrate that clearly enough, his work unquestionably does. Bristol lived in a time enveloped in rabid hostility and unquenched paranoia, but rather than shying from the rawness of it, he dove straight into the worst of it to capture some of the time's most influential images. Horace was present not only at the United States' invasions of North Africa, Okinawaand Iwo Jima, but considerably more importantly in post-war Japan, where he "photographed the war’s devastating legacy, as well as the vestiges of traditional Japanese life". There is no doubt that Bristol would have seen the horrors of warfare at their most impassioned moments, which makes his relocation to Japan such a compelling statement; a statement so reflective of the man's character, that it can't help but radiate from his work. Out of the few surviving photographs of Bristol's time in Japan, three stand out at as the most rhetorically saturated in depth and context; these pieces, being untitled, will be referred for convenience sake as "slave", the image depicting a young man holding the restraints of what looks to be a man of the same age, found on Bristol's official site, "skin", the image displaying the removed skin of a Yakuza member, donated as art after his death, found on a site dedicated to Japanese tattooing, and "youth", a grayscale scene of a young women beginning the long process that is receiving a full body tattoo, found on a United Kingdom news website named "Guardian". Each image utilizes an array of rhetorical techniques in order to convey and even inspire emotions in their audience, arguably just as efficiently in the contemporary day as they did in their era of publication, and yet, completely differently; compliments of the nature of spectatorship.
I propose that with these photographs, Bristol attempted to communicate and enthuse a moral mere words could not, a message the majority were simply not ready or willing to hear, especially then, yet even today; that message being, that in order for the whole of mankind to ever truly prosper ethically, the ancient and unfortunately conventional need for an exponentially brutal revenge must be replaced with an informed and appropriate justice; one only possible by means of a willing and unbiased understanding.Bristolhad known that such a powerfully personal revelation could not plainly have been communicated via words, or even between them; they had to be presented in a way in which the audience would believe the enlightenment was of their own conscience, less they be interpreted oppressively. Each of these images outlines just a fragment of culture, a flash of alien experience just long enough to arouse curiosity, yet just short enough to leave the audience wanting more; making the negative space of the photographs borderline more important than the subjects themselves; for a photograph "whilst recording what has been seen, always and by its nature refers to what is not seen" (Berger 293).
Together, the images present a single congruent purpose, but apart, each acts independently to reveal an entirely new manifestation. The image referred to as "tattoo" shows a practice the Average American is fluently familiar with, particularly at the time of publication with the abundance or new trending military ink. The image serves to indebt a degree of respect if not reverence to a people who have been able to turn so simple of an art into something so majestic. Through this image,Bristolis embedding a face to a previously unrecognized and purposely ignored people, the innocent among the enemy. Here, we see a youthful, pale, naked girl, virtually the epitome of purity, surrounded by much darker and foreboding bodies, and yet, she shows not the slightest sign of fear; even in the face of prolonged suffering. Bristol wields her beauty in the same way a trapper would ensnare his pray; Bristol set's bait, knowing his work has already intrigued the audience, and then, a few moments of analysis later, it happens, the viewer conceives the existence of beauty in the enemy they were told to despise with the same exuberance present in the beast that finds free food; and thus the pray is caught. It is by no means a particularly groundbreaking discovery, but none the less you can't help but feel accomplished by it, almost thrilled with yourself.Bristolimplements this fine tuned mechanism of "treasure maps" in his photographs, influencing the audience just vaguely enough to direct them to where he wants them without letting them know they arrive by any means but their own; in a sense, an almost righteous propaganda. It is this way he "rewards" the audience for taking the time to understand and even sympathize with the foe, rather than leap to any unjustified, convenient means to conform to the pulsing loathing of the time.
In the photo "slave", we see the implied slavery of a young man assuming his obedient readymade life beneath under his master's constraints. Bristol's purpose in this photo was to portray the Japanese people in a way that made them seem eerily similar to our own recent past, particularly emphasized by the slave owner wearing white, and the slave a darkish-brown; an obvious reflection of our past. The sporadic-ness of the photograph gives off an unnatural feel, as if to say "something here is wrong, you know it, now embrace it". Its easy to see from an outside looking in point of view the faults in others, that being just as true today as it was then. It serves to bond the audience with the photo's subjects, almost like they are a former degree of ourselves; as if appointed us to the role of tutor, and them the inexperienced student. In this way of thinking, we feel a pity not only to the slave, but to the slave owner as well, for if we didn't, we would have to admit ignorance, rather than an inevitable social flaw of civilization. Again, by means of carefully plotted rhetorical composition,Bristoluses his work to obligate the audience to see more than just an enemy, but as an entity towards whom we feel can appropriate feeling or superiority towards; a "little brother" whom we can teach and mould. As also seen in "tattoo",Bristolinvited the audience into an unfamiliar world with familiar and homely concepts, only to reward their patient attempt at discernment with seemingly self-inspired satisfaction; and a means of subliminal association.
Within the image "skin" we do not see the same level of orientated complexity of composition as we do in the other two. The subject is bold and confrontational in the sense that their is no rhetorical tiptoeing around it, here displayed before you is skin of a man; it is meant to be taken for what it is, but also for what it is not. It is the literal embodiment of the art of a people, not the man himself nor his actions nor his worth. This is a similar concept to Blakesely and Brooks' reaction to Ren Magritte's painting entitled "The Treachery of Images", stating (regarding the pipe) "Magritte highlights for our consideration the idea that an image of a pipe is not the same thing as the pipe itself (or the letters p-i-p-e). It is a representation of a pipe, once removed from its referent, the object to which it refers" (Blakesley and Brooke on Visual Rhetoric). This image depicts a culture, or at the very least a sect of the culture, that has evolved and matured enough to be able to respect and comprehend a subject without its reference, a culture capable or recognizing the needlessness a work of art has for an artist; that art should not and need not be bound by the limitations of mortality. The photograph, in juxtaposition with "slave", serves to add a new dimension to the analysis, yes we may feel ethically and culturally advanced in some aspects, but in others it seems we may have something to learn as well. The photo inspires a humbleness in its targeted American audience, something as drastically lacking in post WWII America as it is today.
In these three photographs,Bristolcommands a impressively diverse arsenal of rhetorical tools in order to impact as many of his audience as possible. Through the utilization of such elements he is able to refine his ability to not only suggest an idea, but do it in such a way that the spectator would believe it was their very own; and finally reward them for their efforts. It isBristol's ability to create a such a delicately intricate mental schematic within his works make his pieces some of the most powerful of his day; too much and the audience feels subjugated, too little, simply uninterested. It is the precise balance of metaphor and confrontation, paradigms and convention, and subject worth to subject lacking that allows the works' to communicate such a dynamic principle so elegantly.
Works Cited
Bristol, Horace. Photograph. The Horace and Masako Bristol Estate. Horace Bristol. 2006. Feb 2012.
Bristol, Horace. Photograph. Lyfstyl. Lyfstyl Music. April 2011. Feb 2012.
Bristol, Horace. Photograph. The Guardian. June 2007. Feb 2012.
Barthes, R. (1977). Rhetoric of the Image.. Image, Music, Text, 1, 32-51.
Writer: Justin Taylor Reviewer: Chandler Wilson 1. Does the writer understand the concept of a rhetorical analysis and does the paper demonstrate its application? Why or why not. Give suggestions. Throughout this paper I would say that the writer recognized the concept of a rhetorical analysis. The aspects that are involved in a rhetorical analysis are present in this paper. Starting in the beginning, after introducing the photographer, the paper applies the idea of Berger saying that a photograph is not only what is seen but also what is not seen. This comment is also addressed later in the paper, however it is not quoted directly from Berger. I also felt that the idea of the audience came into the paper through analyzing the images and saying what people took from the work. And finally, the photographers own ideas behind the photographs were brought into question and shown through use of communicating the ideas of affecting our thoughts on life. 2. What argument / communicative purpose does the paper describe for the photographs it uses. Is it appropriate? Effectively presented? Why or why not. Give suggestions. Judging by the beginning of the paper, the message behind the photographs is that ethical differences to finally be put to rest, we need to come to an understanding of one another. I personally found this to be a really strong argument to make through these photographs but I think that it was appropriate for these images. I felt that it was presented to the extent of what they audience got out of the images based on what the photographer wanted them to get out of it. I think this argument could be supported a little more through analysis of the photographs objectively without the idea that the author had a hidden agenda; sometimes the audience may be aware of what a photographer wants them to see and sometimes the audience seems aware of something that the photographer hadn’t meant to be the focus. 3. What is the argument claim put forward for the photograph(s) under analysis in the paper? Is it appropriate? Effectively presented? Why or why not. Give suggestions. The claim for the photographer is similar to the argument of the photographs in the image. The photographer is presented as having this influential way about himself and it came off in the messages of his work. I think that this argument is effective in terms of this paper and drawing in meaning from the images. The photographer is given a lot of credit for his work and for placing “hidden” meaning in them. The first image, “tattoo” is given the idea of telling the audience something without the audience knowing that this was the purpose of the image. In order to strengthen the claim of the photographer, I would try to pull in more of his own connections to the images. 4. What did you like about how to various visual/rhetorical theorists (Berger/Faigley/Ramage/Blakesly&Brooke/Barthes) were used in the paper? What could be improved about how the paper uses these theorists? What suggestions do you have for the writer? Be as specific as possible by discussing each theorist one at a time and how the paper uses them. Also, give suggestions of theorists that the writer does not use but might be useful in his/her rhetorical analysis. I felt that there was some connection back to the theorist that we have studied thus far. The strongest connection for me was the one made to Berger in the beginning of the paper, saying that part of the meaning of a photograph is hidden within what cannot be seen. I felt that this was connected back to these images throughout the paper, but most directly to the final image (“skin”). The other theorists that this paper incorporated were Blakesly & Brookes. Also in discussing the “skin” image; Justin applies this essay’s idea of the pipe not actually being a pipe. He was relating this to the multiple meanings of this final image. I think that another theorist I would try to pull into this paper would be Ramage, possibly using his idea of the readymade, which was touched on in the analysis of the second image (“youth”). I think that if some attention was paid to relating this idea into the paper, it could better support the rhetorical side of the images.
Dr. Archibald
English 340
27 February 2012
Humanity Instilled
Horace Bristol was by no means an average photographer; and if the grandeur of his life doesn't demonstrate that clearly enough, his work unquestionably does. Bristol lived in a time enveloped in rabid hostility and unquenched paranoia, but rather than shying from the rawness of it, he dove straight into the worst of it to capture some of the time's most influential images. Horace was present not only at the United States' invasions of North Africa, Okinawaand Iwo Jima, but considerably more importantly in post-war Japan, where he "photographed the war’s devastating legacy, as well as the vestiges of traditional Japanese life". There is no doubt that Bristol would have seen the horrors of warfare at their most impassioned moments, which makes his relocation to Japan such a compelling statement; a statement so reflective of the man's character, that it can't help but radiate from his work. Out of the few surviving photographs of Bristol's time in Japan, three stand out at as the most rhetorically saturated in depth and context; these pieces, being untitled, will be referred for convenience sake as "slave", the image depicting a young man holding the restraints of what looks to be a man of the same age, found on Bristol's official site, "skin", the image displaying the removed skin of a Yakuza member, donated as art after his death, found on a site dedicated to Japanese tattooing, and "youth", a grayscale scene of a young women beginning the long process that is receiving a full body tattoo, found on a United Kingdom news website named "Guardian". Each image utilizes an array of rhetorical techniques in order to convey and even inspire emotions in their audience, arguably just as efficiently in the contemporary day as they did in their era of publication, and yet, completely differently; compliments of the nature of spectatorship.
I propose that with these photographs, Bristol attempted to communicate and enthuse a moral mere words could not, a message the majority were simply not ready or willing to hear, especially then, yet even today; that message being, that in order for the whole of mankind to ever truly prosper ethically, the ancient and unfortunately conventional need for an exponentially brutal revenge must be replaced with an informed and appropriate justice; one only possible by means of a willing and unbiased understanding.Bristolhad known that such a powerfully personal revelation could not plainly have been communicated via words, or even between them; they had to be presented in a way in which the audience would believe the enlightenment was of their own conscience, less they be interpreted oppressively. Each of these images outlines just a fragment of culture, a flash of alien experience just long enough to arouse curiosity, yet just short enough to leave the audience wanting more; making the negative space of the photographs borderline more important than the subjects themselves; for a photograph "whilst recording what has been seen, always and by its nature refers to what is not seen" (Berger 293).
Together, the images present a single congruent purpose, but apart, each acts independently to reveal an entirely new manifestation. The image referred to as "tattoo" shows a practice the Average American is fluently familiar with, particularly at the time of publication with the abundance or new trending military ink. The image serves to indebt a degree of respect if not reverence to a people who have been able to turn so simple of an art into something so majestic. Through this image,Bristolis embedding a face to a previously unrecognized and purposely ignored people, the innocent among the enemy. Here, we see a youthful, pale, naked girl, virtually the epitome of purity, surrounded by much darker and foreboding bodies, and yet, she shows not the slightest sign of fear; even in the face of prolonged suffering. Bristol wields her beauty in the same way a trapper would ensnare his pray; Bristol set's bait, knowing his work has already intrigued the audience, and then, a few moments of analysis later, it happens, the viewer conceives the existence of beauty in the enemy they were told to despise with the same exuberance present in the beast that finds free food; and thus the pray is caught. It is by no means a particularly groundbreaking discovery, but none the less you can't help but feel accomplished by it, almost thrilled with yourself.Bristolimplements this fine tuned mechanism of "treasure maps" in his photographs, influencing the audience just vaguely enough to direct them to where he wants them without letting them know they arrive by any means but their own; in a sense, an almost righteous propaganda. It is this way he "rewards" the audience for taking the time to understand and even sympathize with the foe, rather than leap to any unjustified, convenient means to conform to the pulsing loathing of the time.
In the photo "slave", we see the implied slavery of a young man assuming his obedient readymade life beneath under his master's constraints. Bristol's purpose in this photo was to portray the Japanese people in a way that made them seem eerily similar to our own recent past, particularly emphasized by the slave owner wearing white, and the slave a darkish-brown; an obvious reflection of our past. The sporadic-ness of the photograph gives off an unnatural feel, as if to say "something here is wrong, you know it, now embrace it". Its easy to see from an outside looking in point of view the faults in others, that being just as true today as it was then. It serves to bond the audience with the photo's subjects, almost like they are a former degree of ourselves; as if appointed us to the role of tutor, and them the inexperienced student. In this way of thinking, we feel a pity not only to the slave, but to the slave owner as well, for if we didn't, we would have to admit ignorance, rather than an inevitable social flaw of civilization. Again, by means of carefully plotted rhetorical composition,Bristoluses his work to obligate the audience to see more than just an enemy, but as an entity towards whom we feel can appropriate feeling or superiority towards; a "little brother" whom we can teach and mould. As also seen in "tattoo",Bristolinvited the audience into an unfamiliar world with familiar and homely concepts, only to reward their patient attempt at discernment with seemingly self-inspired satisfaction; and a means of subliminal association.
Within the image "skin" we do not see the same level of orientated complexity of composition as we do in the other two. The subject is bold and confrontational in the sense that their is no rhetorical tiptoeing around it, here displayed before you is skin of a man; it is meant to be taken for what it is, but also for what it is not. It is the literal embodiment of the art of a people, not the man himself nor his actions nor his worth. This is a similar concept to Blakesely and Brooks' reaction to Ren Magritte's painting entitled "The Treachery of Images", stating (regarding the pipe) "Magritte highlights for our consideration the idea that an image of a pipe is not the same thing as the pipe itself (or the letters p-i-p-e). It is a representation of a pipe, once removed from its referent, the object to which it refers" (Blakesley and Brooke on Visual Rhetoric). This image depicts a culture, or at the very least a sect of the culture, that has evolved and matured enough to be able to respect and comprehend a subject without its reference, a culture capable or recognizing the needlessness a work of art has for an artist; that art should not and need not be bound by the limitations of mortality. The photograph, in juxtaposition with "slave", serves to add a new dimension to the analysis, yes we may feel ethically and culturally advanced in some aspects, but in others it seems we may have something to learn as well. The photo inspires a humbleness in its targeted American audience, something as drastically lacking in post WWII America as it is today.
In these three photographs,Bristolcommands a impressively diverse arsenal of rhetorical tools in order to impact as many of his audience as possible. Through the utilization of such elements he is able to refine his ability to not only suggest an idea, but do it in such a way that the spectator would believe it was their very own; and finally reward them for their efforts. It isBristol's ability to create a such a delicately intricate mental schematic within his works make his pieces some of the most powerful of his day; too much and the audience feels subjugated, too little, simply uninterested. It is the precise balance of metaphor and confrontation, paradigms and convention, and subject worth to subject lacking that allows the works' to communicate such a dynamic principle so elegantly.
Works Cited
Bristol, Horace. Photograph. The Horace and Masako Bristol Estate. Horace Bristol. 2006. Feb 2012.
Bristol, Horace. Photograph. Lyfstyl. Lyfstyl Music. April 2011. Feb 2012.
Bristol, Horace. Photograph. The Guardian. June 2007. Feb 2012.
Barthes, R. (1977). Rhetoric of the Image.. Image, Music, Text, 1, 32-51.
Writer: Justin Taylor
Reviewer: Chandler Wilson
1. Does the writer understand the concept of a rhetorical analysis and does the paper demonstrate its application? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
Throughout this paper I would say that the writer recognized the concept of a rhetorical analysis. The aspects that are involved in a rhetorical analysis are present in this paper. Starting in the beginning, after introducing the photographer, the paper applies the idea of Berger saying that a photograph is not only what is seen but also what is not seen. This comment is also addressed later in the paper, however it is not quoted directly from Berger. I also felt that the idea of the audience came into the paper through analyzing the images and saying what people took from the work. And finally, the photographers own ideas behind the photographs were brought into question and shown through use of communicating the ideas of affecting our thoughts on life.
2. What argument / communicative purpose does the paper describe for the photographs it uses. Is it appropriate? Effectively presented? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
Judging by the beginning of the paper, the message behind the photographs is that ethical differences to finally be put to rest, we need to come to an understanding of one another. I personally found this to be a really strong argument to make through these photographs but I think that it was appropriate for these images. I felt that it was presented to the extent of what they audience got out of the images based on what the photographer wanted them to get out of it. I think this argument could be supported a little more through analysis of the photographs objectively without the idea that the author had a hidden agenda; sometimes the audience may be aware of what a photographer wants them to see and sometimes the audience seems aware of something that the photographer hadn’t meant to be the focus.
3. What is the argument claim put forward for the photograph(s) under analysis in the paper? Is it appropriate? Effectively presented? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
The claim for the photographer is similar to the argument of the photographs in the image. The photographer is presented as having this influential way about himself and it came off in the messages of his work. I think that this argument is effective in terms of this paper and drawing in meaning from the images. The photographer is given a lot of credit for his work and for placing “hidden” meaning in them. The first image, “tattoo” is given the idea of telling the audience something without the audience knowing that this was the purpose of the image. In order to strengthen the claim of the photographer, I would try to pull in more of his own connections to the images.
4. What did you like about how to various visual/rhetorical theorists (Berger/Faigley/Ramage/Blakesly&Brooke/Barthes) were used in the paper? What could be improved about how the paper uses these theorists? What suggestions do you have for the writer? Be as specific as possible by discussing each theorist one at a time and how the paper uses them. Also, give suggestions of theorists that the writer does not use but might be useful in his/her rhetorical analysis.
I felt that there was some connection back to the theorist that we have studied thus far. The strongest connection for me was the one made to Berger in the beginning of the paper, saying that part of the meaning of a photograph is hidden within what cannot be seen. I felt that this was connected back to these images throughout the paper, but most directly to the final image (“skin”). The other theorists that this paper incorporated were Blakesly & Brookes. Also in discussing the “skin” image; Justin applies this essay’s idea of the pipe not actually being a pipe. He was relating this to the multiple meanings of this final image. I think that another theorist I would try to pull into this paper would be Ramage, possibly using his idea of the readymade, which was touched on in the analysis of the second image (“youth”). I think that if some attention was paid to relating this idea into the paper, it could better support the rhetorical side of the images.